Isotope study and characterization of beads from a cultic context at Fazael 2

Fazael 2 is a Late Chalcolithic site in the Jordan Valley, dating to the early part of the first quarter of the 4th millennium BCE. Within Stratum 2, ninety beads were found in a single strand of beads found in a context suspected as cultic. We employed microscopy to identify the materials and isotope ratios of Strontium, Neodymium, and lead to detect their geographic origins. All white carbonate beads of similar dimensions were studied by SEM and proved to be made of ostrich eggshell, fossil mollusk shell and chalk. A follow-up isotopic study determined that all carbonate beads originated near Early Oligocene rock exposure, potentially at the Palmyra Valley. Nine obsidian beads were sourced to Central-East Anatolia whereas the two chrysocolla beads could not be attributed to any known copper ore in Turkey. Those were sourced to the Arabah Valley copper ore districts, likely in Faynan, where the Massive Brown Sandstone formation was mined during the Chalcolithic period. The beads thus originated from two opposing directions in relation to the site: The carbonates and obsidian coming from the north and the green chrysocolla from the south. Their findspot adjacent to a shrine, as well as the uniqueness of the strand composition, suggests that the strand of beads potentially belonged to a single dominant individual in this society. This research can inspire other similar studies and expand our understanding on the interaction spheres of humans in Southwest Asia during the Late Chalcolithic period.